Real guide for using gamification to boost business

The real guide for using gamification
to boost business performance
THE GUIDE TO GAMIFICATION SUCCESS
The real guide for using gamification to boost business performance
THE GUIDE TO GAMIFICATION SUCCESS
“Enterprise software should be as easy to use as buying a book on Amazon.com”
Well, it seems that Marc Benioff’s mantra of “ease of use” and his vision of “the convergence of
the consumer web with the enterprise” was the first big step in the right direction for enterprise
software applications. By following his vision Marc Benioff has built a multi-billion dollar business
in the cloud.
However adoption still remains a real and costly issue, even for customers of salesforce.com. Yes,
salesforce.com applications are easier to use than their predecessors, and yes, because they are
delivered in the cloud, they greatly simplify the technology challenges, and yes, they are
affordable for all (well for most at least). But lots of customers will still tell you that they have
trouble getting their sales reps to use the system or that their data quality is poor or that they still
can’t tie marketing spend to closed revenue.
The reality is that enterprise software applications create the challenge of a steep learning curve
and as a result are typically not well adopted within the enterprise. Even when adopted, people
often dislike using them. Employees only use them because their role requires it, because they
“have to” rather than “want to”.
On the contrary, people love to play online games. They even pay money to play. So much so that
there are estimated to be half a billion people playing computer and video games for at least an
hour a day. 5 million gamers in the US alone are in fact spending more than 40 hours a week
playing games, the equivalent of a full time job! However these games are essentially just another
piece of software, so what accounts for the lure of games and why is the adoption and attitude
towards this class of software so positive?
The answer is of course obvious: “because game software is fun, engaging and enjoyable” since
careful consideration has been given about how to engage users and more importantly, how to
keep them coming back for more!
THE GUIDE TO GAMIFICATION SUCCESS 2
CAN WE MAKE ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE MORE ENGAGING THROUGH GAMIFICATION?
The answer has to be “Yes”. After all, there are an increasing number of case studies that clearly
demonstrate gamified software not only drives adoption, it leads to deeper engagement. Users learn to
gain real value from the software through increased usage and encouragement to explore a broader
scope of the application functionality. The social gaming dynamics fosters teamwork, collaboration, and
even a healthy level of competition within an organization. The result is ultimately a boost in productivity
as users:
1. Follow best practices
2. Use more of the application functionality to their advantage
3. Collaborate better with their colleagues
Take G4S for example; having deployed gamification to their sales teams through their CRM
system they experienced the following results:
✤
✤
✤
✤
86% increase in sales performance
60% growth in “active” pipeline
35% increase in the logging of new contacts
A shift from 75% to 98% in user adoption
If the answer is “Yes” then the hard part is “How?” IF GAMIFICATION HAS SO MANY BENEFITS, WHY WASN’T ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE GAMIFIED FROM
THE OUTSET?
Simply put because “making it fun and engaging to use” was never a design requirement for
enterprise software. Software architects did not understand that “engagement” and “adoption” go
hand in hand. The design requirement for enterprise software has typically been focused solely on
process efficiency. There has been little or no focus on the poor individual required to use the
application to actually execute the process! Who cared about them? After all they were being paid
to use the software, so it wouldn't be a problem, right?
As it turns out this logic is fundamentally flawed. At this point if you haven’t read our white paper
covering rewards and motivators (Money – Is It The Only Motivator?) it would be worth
downloading, as this helps to explain what really motivates us. Shockingly, studies by MIT show
that, for complex cognitive tasks, using money as the only motivator can actually lead to poorer
performance.
THE GUIDE TO GAMIFICATION SUCCESS 3
So, if you believe that by making enterprise software engaging people will use it and if you believe that
used properly enterprise software will boost productivity then “fun & engaging” become a requirement for
productivity. Never underestimate the power of fun!
SHOULD WE BE TURNING ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE INTO A GAME?
No, of course not! We are talking about taking the elements of gamification (the game mechanics and
game dynamics) that encourage people to adopt the behaviors that will drive the outcomes you seek for
your business. (See our white paper: Gamification 101 : The Rapid Way to Increase Business
Performance)
However, one note of caution, simply gamifying existing enterprise software by incorporating
game mechanics (i.e., sticking the concepts of points, levels, badges, rewards and leaderboards)
onto an already failing process is highly unlikely to achieve the outcome you seek.
Rather than bolting game mechanics onto existing enterprise software and hoping that this
improves user adoption and engagement, we should focus on a careful design of the game
dynamics (i.e., the content that includes which challenges you will define, the structure of your
levels, the actual rewards you will deliver to the user etc).
These should then be tightly integrated into the process you seek to modify. This way the game
dynamics are delivered to the user at the appropriate time and in an appropriate way, gently
nudging users and rewarding them as they perform the tasks you wish them to.
For example, nudging a user to complete all of the data fields at the point they are first capturing
a new lead and then rewarding them instantly if they comply, is likely to deliver far better results
than say a disconnected list of challenges and rewards that are displayed somewhere else other
than where the task at hand is happening.
Game dynamics should be evaluated, tuned and refreshed on a regular basis to keep users
engaged and ensure they remain matched to the business pains you are trying to address (e.g.,
improving forecast accuracy, improving product mix, increasing data quality, increasing deal win
rates, capturing competitive information etc).
Rewards should be carefully matched to the outcomes you seek – Financial Rewards (e.g., cash
prizes or a technology gift such as the latest iPad or mobile phone) versus Non-Financial Rewards
(e.g., dinner with the CEO or additional vacation time). The timing of rewards should also be
carefully considered (i.e., rewarding “little and often” versus “large but sparingly”).
THE GUIDE TO GAMIFICATION SUCCESS 4
Communication should be carefully planned and executed across as many channels as appropriate (e.g.,
email, social, video, online broadcasts). Thought should be given to how you will launch to your users,
what communication content is needed to keep engagement high, how you will communicate success
(e.g., emails to winners from the CEO or videos of rewards being given posted on corporate social
channels etc).
In summary, all five of the following elements should be carefully evaluated and planned in
advance to ensure success:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
The gamification software platform (i.e. the software that delivers the game mechanics)
The game content (i.e. the game dynamics)
An appropriate rewards structure (financial versus non-financial & frequency of delivery)
A plan for constant communication
A regular review & refresh of 2, 3, 4
HOW DO WE START PLANNING?
Before you do anything you will need a baseline from which to measure your progress. This creates a
record of the current users interaction with the application. The gamification software platform should
allow you to run in “silent” mode for a period of time during which users are unaware that their behaviors
are being recorded. This will give you the ability to profile your users, understand what the “norm” is today
and determine what behaviors need to be changed (i.e., which game dynamics you should introduce and
when). It gives you the proven baseline against which to measure your progress.
Once this tracking capability is in place it will provide a profile of each users current usage. Using
the software will constantly and automatically update every users profile allowing historical
analysis of how their behavior is changing over time.
Once usage is tracked, we can easily identify people who use the software well and reward them
with the appropriate status and recognition. It also provides a clear picture of those employees
that might benefit from coaching to bring the best out of them.
THE GUIDE TO GAMIFICATION SUCCESS 5
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CONSIDERED YOUR USER BEHAVIOR PROFILES
Early game researcher, Professor Richard A Bartle created the Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology. A series
of questions and an accompanying scoring formula that classifies players of games into categories based
on their gaming preferences. The Bartle Test covers four gaming personality types:
Achievers: who prefer to gain points, levels, badges and other concrete measures of success in a
game. They will go to great lengths to achieve rewards that confer on them little or no benefit but
want the prestige of having achieved it.
Explorers: who prefer discovering and learning about new areas. They often feel restricted when
a game expects them to move on within a certain time, as that does not allow them to “explore”
at their own pace.
Socializers: who choose to play games for the social aspect, rather than the actual game itself.
They gain the most enjoyment from a game by interacting with other players and being part of a
team.
Killers: who thrive on competition with other players, and prefer competing with them to be the
winner.
We all have components of each of the 4 characteristics highlighted above. However, normally
one of the characteristics tends to dominate. Understanding the profile of your game participants
is key to understanding which game mechanics and dynamics to use.
For example, Killers require a set of gaming dynamics that are faster than those for Socializers. An
engaging game will need to get progressively harder to challenge the Achiever so that they don’t
become bored.
The vast majority of sales professionals would fall into the Achiever or Killer profile whereas the
collaboration and communication aspects of the software are vital for those that are Socializers.
THE GUIDE TO GAMIFICATION SUCCESS 6
CONCLUSION
Enterprise software is poorly adopted because “being fun & engaging” was never part of the design
philosophy. However, as we now know, “being fun & engaging” is directly linked to productivity, because
it’s the key to driving adoption, which triggers the network effect that benefits everyone and drives the
deeper levels of engagement that boosts business performance.
The best practice for an effective gamification approach is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Create an accurate baseline
Keep the content fresh and regularly tuned to the business outcomes you seek
Reward appropriately
Communicate success often
If we achieve this then the future for the adoption of enterprise software and the associated
increase in business performance that it delivers will indeed be bright!
ABOUT CLOUDAPPS
CloudApps increases business performance by motivating and measuring behavioral change.
SuMo for Salesforce accelerates achievement of CRM KPI’s and increases user adoption using
the power of game mechanics.
SuMo motivates user behavior through concepts that include in-line nudges, points, badges and
leader boards for individuals & teams.
SuMo is the only solution built 100% on the Force.com platform that is delivered with pre-built
CRM best-practice behavior nudges & marketing communications content.
CloudApps is already in use by 250 customers, including blue-chip organizations such as AMEC, EE,
ERM, Lush, La Fitness, Salesforce.com, Sears, Tesco and TUI Travel. Find out more about SuMo for Salesforce or take a free 30-day trial.
People Powered Performance.
THE GUIDE TO GAMIFICATION SUCCESS 7
CloudApps Ltd
2 Winnersh Fields
Gazelle Close
Winnersh
Berkshire
RG41 5QS
+44 (0) 1784 895036
[email protected]
www.cloudapps.com